Not Forgotten
by Dark-Reader-Dude
Summary: In the dead of night her team leave her, believing her too weak for to be a real ninja. When they return, years later, they do not find the same girl they left. Gone is the laughter and smiles, replaced by a woman of ice-cold stares and unspoken anger. This new strength has attracted the attention of more the one group. Rated T but may change depending on later content. Sakuraxmany
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, I am back to writing! I decided to write this after mulling the desire to write over for a while. I am sorry that I let my other stories die, but looking back on them, I feel confident that my writing-style has changed for the better. I no longer like things I liked back then, and I am interested in more things now. Enough about me, ON WITH THE STORY! **

A faint breeze carrying the sweet scented pastel blooms of the sakura blew around the bustling people on the busy street. It caressed them and nipped at their clothes playfully as these people celebrated the very flower that the wind was carrying. The sakura festival was a major source of joy to the villagers of Konohagakure, for it was a time for both the shinobi and the villagers to mix, and more importantly relax.

It was in the middle of these festivities that Sakura found herself seeking out her one true love, Sasuke. The boy hadn't shown much interest in her, but Sakura knew better, he was playing hard to get. He was testing her to see if she was worth being with, and she would just have to show him that she was. She wobbled slightly in the heels which she had borrowed from her mother in hopes of looking older for her Sasuke-kun. The white kimono she wore billowed around her in the wind, lifting the few loose short strands of pink hair from her bun, which was held in place with two elegant silver chopsticks. Sakura lightly touched her her bun, still a little sad that she had to cut it.

After the invasion during the chuunin exams, she got it even out so it wasn't so choppy. Looking back, those exams were almost 4 months ago. There was almost no evidence that an invasion had taken place. Builders and Shinobi alike worked together to clear the mess and rebuild the houses. There was no Hokage yet, but a rumour was spreading that the legendary Sannin Tsunade was to take the position, having being convinced by her friend Jiraiya, another Sannin.

Sakura sighed contently, she really did hope Sasuke-kun thought she looked pretty; she even wore her extra special make-up her dad had got for her in the land of tea. The girl with the pastel-pink hair strained her neck as she scanned over the crowd looking for the black ebony spikes of her beloved. When she finally caught a glance of them, she all but ran over, slowing down as she approached to look more dignified. Sasuke-kun was seated beside Naruto and Kakashi in Ichiraku, Naruto's favourite ramen shop. This gave Sakura pause for a second.

'_Why are they all here without me?' _She wondered, watching the boys friendly banter from behind another group of festival-goers. Even Sasuke-kun was smiling. His smile set the butterflies in Sakura's stomach a-flutter. Watching her boys, Sakura felt a smile of her own stretch across her face, and she was about to go over and join them when she took notice of their attire. They didn't look like they were going to a festival…more like they were going on a mission. Sakura frowned, and tugged at a strand of her hair self-consciously. '_They wouldn't be going on a mission without me, don't be silly'_ she tried to reassure herself. She repeated this to herself a few times and smiled as she convinced herself that they wouldn't. Still, it was weird that they hadn't invited her to come out with them, not even Naruto-baka came for her.

As she watched the boys laugh and joke, it struck her that she never had this type of friendship with any of them. Sasuke-Kun was always so cold and aloof, while Naruto was friendly with everyone. Kakashi-sensei seemed to favour the boys. She shook her head again to rid herself of silly thoughts, it was probably because they were all boys. She smiled and finally took those few steps over to the group.

"Hey guys, room for one more?" She joked, already sitting down.

If she had been paying more attention, she may have noticed the subtle change in the mood. It was more strained now, almost awkward. The boys exchanged looks before smiling to their pink-haired team mate, even if the smile didn't reach their eyes.

"There is always room for you Sakura" Kakashi said behind his mask. He gave her his usual eye-crinkle before taking out his little orange book and began reading it. Sasuke didn't say much, he just glared at Sakura, who was currently peeking at Sasuke from under her pink bangs, both giggling and blushing. This only seemed to irritate Sasuke more as he folded his arms, and glared off in a different direction. Only Naruto seemed pleased to see her.

"Hey Sakura! Enjoying the festival? It so cool this year, I here there is going to be fireworks and a dragon show!" Naruto said, his eyes bright and his voice loud. Sakura took a break from looking at Sasuke to talk to Naruto about the festivities. She truly did love this festival. When she was younger, her father had told her that it was held especially for her, because the Tree Spirits had come and delivered her to them on this night. Sakura knew better now, but she still got goose bumps every time a wind blew past her, part of her wanting to believe it was the spirits surrounding her for a brief minute.

There was a break in conversation while Naruto shovelled his ramen into him. Sakura shot him a nasty look at the slurping noises he was making. _'Ugh, why does he have to be so disgusting? Why can't he be cooler and more composed like Sasuke-kun?' _She thought, her eyes already beginning to sparkle just thinking of her not-so-secret crush. It was then that Sakura brought up there strange clothing.

"Hey guys, how come you are all dressed in work clothes? Were you all too lazy to wash your nice clothes again?" She stuck her tongue out at the end of her sentence. There was that tense mood again, that seemed to discourage conversation. The boys exchanged glances again. Kakashi nodded before giving a little laugh. "Something like that, yeah. You know, boys will be boys " he said, scratching the back of his head. Sakura smiled, reaffirming her earlier thoughts about feeling left out. They were boys, obviously she was going to be a little different. Kakashi let out a yawn before discreetly kicking Naruto under the table. "I think I might turn in, I 'm feeling quite tired. Naruto, why don't you go to sleep aswell. I know you won't be able to get up tomorrow if you don't. Don't forget we have training tomorrow everyone, and there will be a 100-lap punishment for those who are late" He smiled at the last part.

Kakashi and Naruto walked off, leaving Sakura alone with Sasuke. Sakura lit up inside. This was her chance, her chance to make Sasuke hers forever. She leaned over, placing her hand on Sasuke's arm.

"Oh Sasu-" She began but was interrupted.

"Tch. You're so annoying. You're needy, you're loud, and worst of all, you're weak. Even the Dobe is stronger then you. You should be ashamed of yourself, quit playing ninja and leave it to those who can handle it" Sasuke said in his cold voice, malice seeping in his words. He began to smile darkly during his speech, and by the end it was one of the coldest smirks Sakura had seen. Sasuke shook off her arm and stood up. For a second he just stared down at her in disgust. He took off without another word, leaving Sakura cradling the hand he had roughly shook off.

Sakura was so confused. Why would her Sasuke-kun say such hurtful things? A v-shape appeared between her eyebrows as she brought them together in concentration. Perhaps he was sick, and a fever was making him act out. Sakura though about this, but conceded that he didn't look sick and was probably not suffering from some anger-inducing-fever. The more Sakura thought about it, the more his words began to eat away at her. She could be a little loud, but weak and needy? No, her Sasuke-kun would NOT say that to her. Remembering the time Naruto pretended to be him to get a kiss, Sakura decided that it was just Naruto-baka again, trying to put distance between her and Sasuke-kun. Sakura could feel her temper rising, and she stood up and stormed out into the street. She couldn't wait for training tomorrow , she would show Naruto for trying to trick her. He didn't count on her being so perceptive, nobody could fool her.

**A/N:...So what did you guys think? This is just the beginning, more to come! Please R&R...but please mainly review. This lets me know what you all liked and what you didnt. It helps me as a writer :D. Now who do you think Sakura should end up with. Its very open-ended. It will NOT be a Sasuke/Sakura story though, because I dislike that couple...greatly. HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED!.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, next chapter! In this chapter I to want focus on how Sakura feels. I am so pleased with the review this is getting. Thanks to everyone. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 2

A light wind tickled the chimes of the houses; the sound of the metal clanging filled the empty street. Sakura sighed from her bed, lifting the covers of her bed over her head to block out the early morning sunshine. It was too early to be awake, she thought bitterly. If it weren't for the fact that she had training with her team, she may have stayed in bed for the whole day. Still lying in bed, she reflected on last night's affairs. She felt her temper rise when she remembered Sasuke's harsh words. She had convinced herself that it was really Naruto, trying to put more distance between her and her crush.

It was with this anger that she threw her legs over the side of the bed, determined to get ready and give Naruto a piece of her mind. He toes crinkled when they met the cold wooden floor boards. Her house was always cold in the morning. The boards creaked as she moved around her room. She picked up her classic red dress and held it to her body and looked in the mirror. She winked at herself and pulled a few poses. She giggled at her reflection before putting the dress down and heading into the bathroom to shower. She turned on the water and jumped when the cold water hit her bare back. It gradually warmed up and Sakura relaxed into the water. She sighed contently as the water worked on her muscles.

Sakura was glad she had gotten up early. She enjoyed having this time to prepare herself for Sasuke. She put on her black spandex shorts and turned back to her dress. She had noticed that it was becoming a little too tight in the chest area to be comfortable. She frowned looking down at her budding chest. She wondered how other shinobi women coped. She came from a family of traders, and was the first shionbi in her family. Her family never understood why she wanted to jump through the trees and put her life in danger. Sakura glanced out the window with a sombre look. She guessed they would understand now. She began to hum to herself as she continued to get ready. She didn't like how quiet this house was now, each floorboard creak was more pronounced, each creaky hinge seemed to resonate the house. Sakura brushed her hair till it was shining bright and placed her forehead protector proudly in her hair. She was a ninja of Konoha, and she was proud of it.

When she was finished getting ready and had eaten her breakfast, she closed her front door behind her and locked it securely. She opened her front gate and listened to the long drawn out creak of rusty hinges that she had become so accustomed too. She covered her eyes with her hand as the sun beat down on the street. It was still empty at this time, but it was the agreed time her team had come up with. Kakashi-sensei had said that getting up early helped them with endurance. She didn't know if this was true, or if he just liked to make them suffer. She giggled thinking about how Kakashi-sensei probably wouldn't be there until long after everyone else arrived.

The red bridge came into sight and she could almost sighed at how nice today was. It was going to be hard to concentrate today in this heat. When she got to the bridge she realised she had arrived earlier then she planned and that she was the first one there. She leaned against the warm wood of the bridge looking down at the flowing water. If she squinted her eyes she could make out the fish that were camouflaged themselves against the river bed. The wind blew harder this time, blowing her hair over her face. She swiped it away and wished her hair was long enough to tie back. At the moment it was still too short after cutting it. It was warm today, the sun beating down, heating up her exposed legs. Sakura was becoming impatient; she knew she wasn't that early. The boys should be here at least, she expected this behaviour from Kakashi-sensei, but not them. Sasuke-kun was never late, it was so unlike him. The thought that something may be wrong with her Sasuke-kin sent Sakura into an internal panic.

'_What if something has happened has happened? What if someone had come for him in the middle of the night?' _Sakura wanted to ignore these thoughts, but something inside her told her something was wrong. She tried to reassure herself. Her Sasuke-kun was too strong, too powerful to just be taken out like that. She guessed that Naruto just overslept, as it wasn't unheard of. She glanced at the sun, noticing that it was much further along the sky then when she had arrived. How long had she been watching the fish? She berated herself, any self-respecting ninja would have noticed the time earlier, and come up with a plan to find her team mates. She decided that she wasn't just going to wait around for her team, who had probably stayed out to late last night. She was disappointed; she really wanted to have a go at Naruto.

Sakura found her feet walking towards the old Uchiha compound, subconsciously wanting to see what was wrong with Sasuke. When she saw the large compound come into view, she was saddened to think that her Sasuke-kun had to live here all alone. She was thinking about how lonely it must be for Sasuke when she noticed an elderly man on the ground through the gates. He was sweeping the leaves off the path, hunched over and working slowly. "Excuse me, Sir, I was wondering if you had seen Uchiha Sasuke today?" She called out, one hand holding onto the gate as she went on her tip-toes to see if she could see Sasuke on the grounds. The man seemed startled, and turned around slowly. He peered at her, before shuffling over. "Sorry little lady, my hearing isn't what it used to be, could you repeat that?" He asked politely, as he waited for Sakura to repeat. "Oh sorry, I was just wondering of Uchiha Sasuke was in, he is on my genin team and he didn't show up to training today." She neglected to tell this man that none of her team had shown up, that was too embarrassing. The old man looked confused, but a light soon lit up behind his eyes. He scratched the back of his head and looked left and right as if for an escape. "Well, miss, he certainly isn't in I regret to inform you." He said apologetically. Sakura was more alert this time, and noticed that this man was leaving something out. She felt her eyes narrow slightly. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you? I thought Sasuke-Kun lived alone" She asked this man. The man laughed and shook his head, and then sighed sadly. "I don't live here; I just take care of the place. My family has followed the Uchiha Clan for generations. My grandchildren and children don't see the need to maintain this place now that the clan is dead, but they don't understand that it's a way to show respect to a clan who has offered us protection for decades" the man said sadly.

Sakura felt her eyes soften on this old civilian man, who spent his time taking care of an empty house filled with nothing but memories and a solitary survivor. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. What are you not telling me?" She asked softly. The man looked surprised for a second before laughing. "You definitely are a ninja, it's like you people can read minds. I hate to tell you this miss, but I didn't quite believe you were a member of Uchiha-san's team. He gets so many girls coming over confessing their love that they all blend into one. You're the only one to claim to be on his team though. I didn't know what to think when you said that, you see Uchiha-san has left the village." He said evenly. Sakura felt her stomach drop. She remember that strange snake man in the forest of death saying Sasuke-kun would come to him, but she never thought he would. He had fought the curse mark, he was so strong. Naruto and Kakashi helped, no one was even worried about it anymore. She thought it had become inactive, like Anko's. "D-did he say where he was going?" she asked nervously, her face as pale as milk. "He said he was going on a mission. I saw him call to the house with the blonde haired boy and Hatake-san. They all seemed to leave with packed bags. It must be a long mission. You said you were his team mate didn't you? Why weren't you with them?" The man's eyes narrowed in suspicion, thinking she may have been another fan girl lying though her teeth.

Whatever Sakura had felt when she thought Sasuke left the village was cancelled out, overwhelmed by this new feeling. It was hard to place, and she couldn't quite name it. It seemed like the world was spinning into darkness, and she could no longer see what was around her. The man in front of her faded as her world turned to black. It was like the ground below her was made of glass and suddenly it had shattered, throwing her down into the darkness, twisting and turning with no idea how to save herself. She could feel the darkness trying to claim her, but she pushed it down, deep into her heart where she could deal with it later. Her body felt numb, like she had been lying at an awkward angle and now a hundred pins-and-needles were stuck into her body. Her mind couldn't form complete thoughts. They would start to form and the fizzle out like a flame doused by water.

"Thank you for your time sir" she said automatically. The man looked worriedly at her. Her skin had become pale and clammy. Her eyes that had been so vivid and bright no were dull and flat, and her voice was robotic, as if she was running on auto-pilot. He reached out an arm for her, but then decided better. This wasn't his place to intervene. He watched as the girl turned around and walked down the path, her back stiff and her shoulders stiff.

Sakura didn't what to do now. Her body was working of its own accord, placing one foot in front of the other. It was like she was an observer, watching everything happen, but with no ability to take action or have input. The sun was still shining when she managed to get home. She unlocked the door and tuck off her shoes neatly, placing them beside the door and walking into the house, not bothering to put her indoor slippers on. The boards creaked as she made her way to her room. Looking at the pictures on the wall her mind began to register something; sorrow. She glanced at the group photo of her team, Sasuke smirking, Naruto grinning, and her with both her arms around _her _boys. She guessed they were never really hers after all. She then glanced at the picture of her and her parents. Her father's red hair was styled into points contrasting with her mother's blonde hair that covered her forehead. They were smiling at each other; the love was clear in their eyes. _'Does everybody leave me?'_ She asked herself, but regretted it instantly. It wasn't fair on her parents, they didn't leave her, they had died protecting this village.

She sat down on her bed calmly, tucking her skirt in under her. She stared at the wall until little red dots danced across her vision. All those feeling were still pushed down, growing and festering like a bad wound. She blinked and looked out the window at the beautiful day. Her brain registered another feeling; irritation. How could it be so nice out today, when her world was crashing down around her? How could people be going on with their lives when she couldn't? She pulled the blinds and sat in the shadows of her room. That's when the dam broke.

It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. She gasped as she wrapped her arms around herself. She collapsed onto her side on the bed, rocking as silent sobs shook her form. Fat tears rolled down her face, and still she couldn't make a sound. The darkness was rising up around her again and she couldn't take it. She glanced at the kunai on her side drawer and dark, dark thought crossed through her minds at the speed of light. Different images flashed behind her eyes as she contemplated some of the darker thought. How could they leave her, was she not strong enough? She thought they were a team, a team who stuck together. Wasn't it Naruto who was always talking about loyalty and sticking together? Where was their loyalty to her? She threw the team picture at the wall, and the sound of shattering glass comforted some primary need in her to smash. She could feel this sorrow mixing with a new found rage. Her face was flushed and her eyes were puffy when she finally sat up on the bed. Her shoulders still shook and she couldn't seem to get her eyes to focus.

She tried to rationalise this, thinking of why her team would leave, and the more she thought the angrier she got. Why was she still trying to protect them? It was like everything that every wronged her that she had ignored was coming back and adding to this rage, which was boiling just under the surface. She knew she wasn't strong, but they didn't even TRY to help her. Sasuke never wanted to spar, Naruto wouldn't even push her as he didn't want to hurt her. Kakashi, her _sensei _favoured the two boys better, she knew it. When she had mastered the tree climbing exercise before the boys, he didn't praise her like he would have the boys, instead he had made the other angry at her to spur them on. She remembered all the times he shared new jutsus with him. What did she learn from him? What jutsus did she even have bar the academy basics? She knew this was her fault as well, and this anger at herself joined this pool of fury.

The darkness that had gripped her was suddenly receded in the force of this new white hot anger. She knew that when this passed she would only feel sad again, but she would use it while she had it. She got up and removed every picture of her team from her house and burned them in her back garden. If it was so easy for them to leave her, then why should she continue to try to keep them in her life? Watching the fire on the photos, she could feel a steely resolve in her forming. She WOULD get stronger, and she WOULD make them regret leaving.

**A/N: So what did you think? PLEASE review. I loved my last reviews. More couple ideas please! Also I am back to school on Monday, so no update till NEXT weekend...sorry :(. I will be a long update though ( I hope) and it will deal with the time skip. R&R PLEAAAASE :D :D **


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